AeroFest to offer another event-filled weekend

Twenty years ago, BayFest came to Mobile and evolved into “Alabama’s Largest Music Festival.” Five years ago, The Hangout Music Festival was founded and quickly established itself as one of the country’s premiere music festivals. Now, the Gulf Coast is preparing for the birth of another regional festival that could achieve the same renown. AeroFest is coming to Mobile March 20-21 to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley Field. Organizers are building this festival upon a philanthropic foundation with a focus on the nation’s military men and women. According to its website, AeroFest is working closely with The Independence Fund, which is dedicated to the “physical and emotional healing” of the nation’s military men and women.

Currently, the festival promises to bring a “world-class line-up of music, arts, sports, education, festivities and fun.” AeroFest will also bring the “Titan FC Mixed Martial Arts Championship” to Brookley Field. This event will include 12 matches and a title fight, which will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network. Tickets are on sale now at www.mobileaerofest.com.

Primus’ Wonka is magically wonky

Primus promised to deliver a world of pure imagination with their “Primus & the Chocolate Factory” performance at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi last week, and they more than accomplished the task. It was definitely a show for dedicated Primus fans, and many whose knowledge of the band is limited to radio favorites such as “Winona’s Big Brown Beaver” might have been disappointed. However, the band was very strategic in their delivery.

Primus recreated a world of pure imagination with their take on the soundtrack to “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.”

The show was broken into two sets. For the first, the trio performed under minimal lighting with nothing but a closed curtain as a backdrop. They kicked the show off with “Those Damn Blue-Collar Tweekers” before plunging into “Last Salmon Man.” Of course, they played crowd favorites such as “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” and “Winona’s Big Brown Beaver,” during which front man/bassist Les Claypool regaled the crowd with the tale of MTV’s initial refusal to play the accompanying video. Primus concluded the set with an epic performance of “Over the Electric Grapevine.”

After a break, the curtain was drawn apart to reveal a colorful stage-set filled with mushrooms and confections, and the band took the stage in costumes designed in the show’s theme. Primus rolled steady through the music of the film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” Their version of the film’s music ranged from being chaotically psychedelic to magically ethereal. Throughout the set, the audience was inundated with psychotic visuals from the film, which were spontaneously morphed during each song. Much to the audience’s pleasure, the band finished the show with their classic songs “Too Many Puppies” and “Here Come the Bastards.”

Compared to the large venues Primus frequents, the relatively intimate environment of the Hard Rock gave all in attendance an excellent view of the madness on stage. Ultimately, Primus fans in attendance will be talking about this show for years, and those who did not attend may be filled with future regret.

About The Author

With the exception of two years spent at Auburn University, Steve Centanni has spent his life in Mobile County while focusing on his two passions: music and the written word. As soon as he was issued his driver’s license, Centanni began to explore the local music scene in the early ‘90s.
He filled his weekend with visits classic local venues such as the Four Strong Winds Coffee House, Vincent Van Go-Go’s and Culture Shock, all of which welcomed those who had yet to reach 18. After high school, Centanni traded Mobile for Auburn to complete his B.A. in English with an emphasis on general writing.
While at Auburn, he had the honor of studying under the Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, who served as the nation’s Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2014. After receiving his diploma, Centanni quickly moved back to Mobile and completed the University of South Alabama’s graduate program with a M.Ed. Eventually, he was tapped by the nationally distributed Volume Entertainment Magazine to serve as the magazine’s managing editor/senior writer.
His time with Volume allowed him to exercise his love for both music and writing. As Volume began to fade, Lagniappe recruited Centanni as their Music Writer and later their Music Editor, where he has remained for a little over a decade.
As far as his involvement in the local music scene, Centanni organized Cess Fest at the Langan Park, which was a mini-festival focused on original local music in a time when original local music was veritably taboo in Downtown Mobile. For a short time, he brought original music to Downtown Mobile as the in-house promoter for the now deceased venue Cell Block. He managed local underground powerhouse Fry Cook, until the members parted ways. Centanni has lent his bass to bands such as Keychain Pistol and The F’n A-Holes, and he toured nationally as a member of Abstract Artimus & the Torture Children.
Currently, he provides vocals for the garage blues rock outfit Johnny No. Ultimately, Centanni’s experience in the local music scene as both a participant and an observer has allowed him to witness the ever-changing persona of Mobile’s enigmatic music scene, which continues to leave him with more questions than answers.